UPDATED - Let's all panic about Canada's historic literacy!

Let the semi-annual wringing of the hands over the allegedly
sorry state of Canada's collective historical literacy begin!

Later today, Canadian Heritage is set to kick off what the minutes from the closed-door organizational meeting
describe as a "thorough and comprehensive review of significant aspects in
Canadian history," including a "breakdown and comparison of relevant standards
and courses of study offered in primary and post-secondary institutions" across
the country, as well as an investigation into "federal, provincial and municipal
programs designed to preserve our history."

According to the terms of reference, the committee's attention will be
focused on -- "but not limited to ... pre-confederation, early confederation,
suffrage, World War I, with an emphasis on battles such as Vimy Ridge, World War
II including the Liberation of Holland, the Battle of Ortona, Battle of the
Atlantic, the Korean conflict, peacekeeping missions, constitutional
development, the Afghanistan conflict, early 20th century Canada, post-war
Canada, and the late 20th century."

First up on the witness list: the founders of Operation HUSKY 2013,
which was formed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the battle for Sicily,
and Canadian Museum of Civilization officials Chantal Amyot and Xavier Gelinas.

(The committee was, it seems, unable to secure the presence of the two
witnesses initially penciled in for today: The Netherlands Ambassador to Canada,
and Conservative MP Randy Hoback.)

On the witness wishlist for future meetings: CBC, the Chief Archivist
for the Hudson Bay Company, Kevin McLeod, Library and Archives Canada, Library
of Parliament, McCain Family Foundation. National Film Board of Canada and
Telefilm Canada, as well as other as yet unspecified witnesses to be suggested
by committee members.

Also on the committee front today:

Ethics and Conflict of Interest Commissioner Mary Dawson will take questions from MPs on the projected budget -- and, almost
certainly, ongoing operations -- of her office at Ethics, which
is currently working its way through its share of the main estimates, as is
International Trade, whose members will get to hear from the minister this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Justice continues to scrutinize the fine print of
Bloc Quebecois MP Maria Mourani's bid to tighten the penalties for human
trafficking and exploitation, with the Quebec Council on the Status of Women and
the Salvation Army tagged to appear before the committee begins clause-by-clause
review later this afternoon.

Back in the Commons, MPs will spend a fourth day debating the budget
implementation bill, which is currently scheduled to be put to a vote on second
reading approval (or, indeed, disapproval) in principle tomorrow evening, after
which it will be divvied up into thematically-linked chunks, and sent off to
committee for further consideration.

Before that gets underway, however, the House will embark on what may
well turn out to be the final round of discussion on a Senate-initiated bill to loosen the rules on prize fights in
Canada to include mixed-martial arts competitions, which was introduced by
Conservative Senator Bob Runciman in the Red Chamber, and has subsequently
managed to garner the support of all parties, although not the unanimous support
of the House, thanks to the quiet but concerted dissent expressed by four GTA-area
Conservative backbenchers at second reading.

Meanwhile, later this morning, New Democrat public safety and justice critics
Randall Garrison and Francoise Boivin will join "representatives" of both
uniformed and civilian members of the RCMP to share their respective thoughts --
and, given the context, almost certainly concerns -- with the government's bid to strengthen accountability within the RCMP,
which is currently before a Senate committee, and which the NDP believes -- as
is its wont -- doesn't go far enough.

UPDATE: According to a this-just-in advisory from the Liberals, party public safety critic Francis Scarpaleggia has called a 1pm press conference to discuss VIA Rail security, presumably to provide an update on his efforts to get the committee to investigate the issue following last month's terror-related arrests.

This afternoon, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson will host an "earth-to-space concert"
at City Hall, during which 300 local children will join International Space
Station Commander Chris Hadfield to sing what is, according to the advisory, the
official Music Monday theme song: "ISS: Is Somebody Singing/Quelqu'un Chante".

This evening, Governor General David Johnston and his wife, Sharon, attend
the Champions of Mental Health Awards Gala at the Chateau Laurier.

On the government good news circuit today:

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley makes "an announcement on social
finance" at a forum on "women in social business" ongoing in Ottawa.

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore ferries fresh federal cash to a
Quebec City community centre, while elsewhere in La Belle Province, Conservative
Senator Suzanne Fortin Duplessis teams up with provincial and municipal
officials to unveil new funding for Habitations Jean-Nicolet in Trois-Rivieres.

In Toronto, Veterans Affairs Minister Steve Blaney marks the launch of
Mental Health Week by bolstering his government's support for veterans'
initiatives at the Ryerson University athletic centre.

Also out and about in Ontario today: MInister of State for Science Gary
Goodyear, who is scheduled to give opening remarks at CONNECT 2013 in Niagara
Falls before heading to nearby Niagara College with news of new money for the
local manufacturing sector.

Meanwhile, in Paris, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver "promotes
Canada's record on the environment," as well as its "commitment to responsible
resource development" in a speech to the Canada-France Chamber
Commerce.

Finally, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes an appearance at a Kanata
seniors centre, after which he'll trek to Renfrew for an early evening "meet and
greet" at the legion hall.

For up to the minute dispatches from the precinct and beyond, keep your
eye on the Parliament Hill Ticker below -- or, alternatively, bookmark
it and check back throughout the day.

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About the Author

Kady O'Malley has been covering the Hill for more than a decade (yes, really) for a variety of publications. An Ottawa girl (not quite born, but raised), she has a passion for politics that borders on the unhealthy, and has liveblogged her way through hundreds of committee meetings, press conferences, judicial inquiries, budget launches, cabinet shuffles, and even the odd constitutional crisis. Oh, and yes, her Boston Terrier really is named "BlackBerry."
For up-to-the-minute bulletins, follow Kady on twitter!